New to the Tonga Collection, this hand fabricated Sterling Silver Men’s ring is set with a 12 carat faceted Amethyst. Hand fabrication is a more labor intensive method of ring making and produces a higher quality ring as opposed to the most common method – lost wax casting. Here’s why: Porosity

Centrifugal Lost Wax Casting was developed in the 1930′s as a way to make fine jewelry more affordable through mass production. With Lost Wax, a ring is carved in wax, set in plaster, then placed in a kiln where the wax is “lost” through burn out, leaving a reverse impression in the plaster. Gold or Silver is then melted and poured into the mold, then spun within a centrifuge (or vacuum) to disperse the molten metal throughout the mold. After the metal has cooled, the ring can be cleaned and polished. The finished ring can then be cast in rubber, producing a mold. Hot wax is injected into this rubber mold, producing “copies.” The copies are assembled onto a “tree” with up to 50 rings being cast at once (more if you have the right equipment).

During the casting process, air can be introduced causing millions of tiny holes to develop that compromise the basic structure of the piece. Referred to as Porosity, these tiny bubbles can eventually cause ring shanks to break and prongs to break off. Porosity is usually caused by shrinkage and/or gas. Shrinkage usually occurs when a ring has a thick top. The thinner shank cools first ( since there’s less mass), trapping the molten metal above it. As the trapped metal cools, it suffers shrinkage, which would normally have occurred at the button (where sprue meets the pouring reservoir). Gas Porosity results from overheating in the casting process, since metal in its molten state is very volatile and as it enters the mold, gas can concentrate in small pockets and remains there after the metal solidifies, creating small pits and holes.

Fabrication starts off where casting ends. Fabrication begins with an ingot of poured silver or gold. This ingot is comparable to the porosity of the lost wax cast product. Next, the ingot is compressed at thousands of pounds of pressure per square inch through the use of a rolling mill. This process produces a metal of greater density, reducing porosity problems that exist in lost wax production. A fabricated ring of comparable dimensions will weigh 20-30% more than a ring produced using lost wax, due to its higher density. The added customer benefits of fabrication are: 1.) Longer Wear (often years longer on ring shanks and prongs); 2.) Crisper and Cleaner detail of a design; 3.) Greater resistance to scratching; 4.) More brilliant polish.

This ring is set with a Rainbow Pyrite cabochon and can be found in my Sierra collection for Men. Pyrite is commonly referred to as “Fool’s Gold” due to the many miners mistaking it for the real thing during the California Gold Rush

The name pyrite is from the Greek word πυρά (pura) meaning “fire”. This is likely due to the sparks that result when pyrite is struck against steel. This capacity made it popular for use in early firearms such as the wheellock.

Recommended Reading

• Handmade Jewelry
• Handmade Bronze Jewelry
• Barbary Coast Beaded Gemstone Jewelry Collection Video